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WJLB
| format = Mainstream Urban | erp = 50,000 watts | haat = 149 meters | class = B | facility_id = 59592 | coordinates = | callsign_meaning = W'elcome '''J'ohn 'L'ord 'B'ooth | former_callsigns = WMZK (?-12/3/80) WBRI (?-12/3/80) WJLB (?-?) WLOU (?-?) W49D (5/9/41-?) | affiliations = | owner = Clear Channel Communications | sister_stations = WDFN, WDTW, WDTW-FM, WKQI, WMXD, WNIC | webcast = Listen Live | website = fm98wjlb.com }} '''WJLB is a Mainstream Urban radio station in Detroit that broadcasts on 97.9 Megahertz (MHz) frequency. The station is known on-air as "WJLB fm98" and sometimes they also called it "fm98 WJLB". This is the station that began the career of future WPGC morning jock and BET's 1st video jock Donnie Simpson. Throughout the 1970's and 1980's, WJLB was the home of radio legend John Mason and his legendary morning show "The John Mason And Company Morning Show". As well as former member of the late '80's, early '90's hip-hop group 3rd Bass turned radio jock MC Serch and "The MC Serch In The Morning Show" WJLB, along with sister WMXD, had broadcast for 20 years in Detroit's Penobscot Building, which is located in the heart of Detroit's Downtown Financial District. Clear Channel moved both stations to their corporate consolidated owned building in Farmington Hills in November 2009. WJLB's transmitter is located in Highland Park near the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and Midland Street and transmits its signal from an antenna 489 feet in height with an effective radiated power of 50,000 watts. "fm98" can be heard far north as Flint and as far west as Lansing on I-96 and past Jackson west on Interstate 94, however at night, WJLB can be heard as far west as Battle Creek and even far north as Saginaw. The 97.9 frequency is one the strongest signals in Southeast Michigan. History Early History The station that became WJLB began operation around May 7, 1941, as a testing station with 1,000 watts of power at 44.9 megahertz frequency. On May 24, it officially began broadcasting as W49D, Michigan's second FM radio station. It was owned by John Lord Booth, hence the "JLB" in the station's call letters. 97.9 signs on as WMZK On September 12, 1945, W49D is finally assigned a full-powered frequency at 96.5 FM and renamed with the calls WLOU. In June 1948, the station moved up to the 97.9 frequency with the new calls WMZK, which was a play on the word music, "M'u'''Z'i'''K" with a format of automated beautiful music. In later years, WMZK alternated between beautiful music and foreign-language programming for various ethnic groups. Payola Controversy In 1979, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), began investigations on WJLB-AM 1400 and WMZK. The investigation focused on whether morning DJ, Al Perkins, was receiving money for playing records. Subsequently, Al Perkins was found dead after being shot. Norman S. Miller was the General Manager of Booth Broadcasting, Inc. at the time. 97.9 as WJLB fm98 In 1980, the WJLB calls migrated back to the FM dial along with an Contemporary Hit Radio/Urban Contemporary, a.k.a. the CHUrban format from the 1400 kHz AM frequency. WJLB-AM, which went on the air as WMBC in 1926 and adopted the WJLB calls in 1939, had been providing programming geared toward Detroit's black community for nearly four decades. fm98!, Strong Songs!, WJLB! Now, the stereo FM station became "WJLB fm98, Detroit's Strongest Songs!" with a little help from TM Studios' new jingle package called "FirePlay" which was also heard on WYLD-FM in New Orleans, somehow it become a big hit for both the listeners and the jocks of Detroit's fm98. WJLB-AM 1400 continued to program to the African American community in Detroit for nearly a quarter-century afterward as WQBH ("Welcome Queen Back Home," named for longtime JLB Strong Jock and eventual station owner Martha Jean "The Queen" Steinberg), and is now WDTK, owned by Salem Communications with a conservative news/talk format. Within a few years, WJLB-FM had soared into the upper reaches of the Detroit Arbitron ratings and has been there ever since, despite picking up competition from several competitors, including WHYT a.k.a. "Power 96 FM" which was mostly dance and Top 40, but in 1992, would flip to "96.3 Jamz" and aired a Rhythmic Contemporary format, and then in 1996 at the 105.9 frequency, the former jazz-formatted WJZZ, which became WCHB-FM "The Beat" and later WDTJ "105.9 Jamz" (now urban AC-formatted WDMK "105.9 Kiss-FM"). "fm98" was famous for its specialty Friday Mix Shows with former WPGR and WHYT jock alum The Electrifying Mojo and "The fm98 WJLB's Sunday Night Slow Jam Segway Classics" featuring mostly slow R&B and Motown Soul tracks. In April 1994, Booth American Company merged with Broadcast Alchemy to become Secret Communications. Later in the year in the month of August, Chancellor Media acquired the station from Secret Communications. In 1997, Chancellor Media and Evergreen, which already owned WKQI and WQRS, later merged to form AMFM, Inc. In November 1999, AMFM, Inc. was purchased by Clear Channel Communications. WJLB and sister station WMXD have been under the Clear Channel banner ever since. Over the last several years, WJLB has shifted to a more younger demographic playlist with more Hip Hop and less R&B and Old school and house music, which the station was built on in the 1990s and through 2005. fm98 WJLB currently ranks at #8 (4.5) in the Detroit market according to the November 2010 PPM Ratings release. Current fm98 Strong Jocks The current WJLB Strong Jocks (as of 2013) includes "Coco, Foolish, And Mr. Chase In The Morning" with Coco, Foolish, Mr. Chase, Tracey McCaskill (News), and producer Max from 6:00am-10:00am. Middays are filled with nothin' but some JLB Strongest Songs for the "D" from 10:00am-2:00pm. Afternoon drive is hosted by Da Bushman from 2:00pm-6:00pm. Evenings are hosted by DJ Ya Big Dogg Blast from 6:00pm-10:00pm. Overnights are vacant, and feature The Quiet Storm from 10:00pm-2:00am, and Late Nights are hosted by former midday diva turned late night diva Cheron from 2:00am-6:00am. WJLB fm98 is also known for Mixin Impossible Weekends during holidays, which includes DJ Kim James, DJ Ya Big Dogg Blast, DJ Fingers, DJ Don Q., DJ Polo and DJ Mo' Beatz. Guest DJs include DJ Jinx, DJ Scratch, and DJ James O. Steen. Other notable programming includes "The WJLB's A List" hosted by Da Bushman and DJ Ya Big Dogg Blast on Friday nights. Weekend's/Fill-ins include The Big Tigger, DJ Kim James, Deborah Smith Pollard, and Ya Big Dogg Blast. The DJ mixtape posse is called "The WJLB fm98's 7 Deadly Technics", which includes DJ Kim James, DJ Ya Big Dogg Blast, DJ Fingers, DJ Don Q., DJ Polo, DJ Mo' Beatz, and DJ Jinx. Former fm98 Strong Jocks *Al Perkins *Martha Jean "The Queen" Steinberg *Donnie Simpson *John Mason *Rob Johnson *DJ Jeff Mills The fm98 Wizard *The Electrifying Mojo *Charles Pugh *Curtis Dixon *Michael "MC Serch" Berrin *Dr. Darrius *Jazzy T. *Sunni Sources *Michiguide.com - WJLB History External links * JLB-FM Category:Clear Channel radio stations Category:Urban contemporary radio stations Category:1941 introductions